Primary proliferative and cytotoxic T-cell responses to HIV induced in vitro by human dendritic cells.

In earlier studies, primary proliferative and cytotoxic T-cell (CTL) responses to influenza virus were produced in vitro by using mouse dendritic cells (DC) pulsed with virus or viral peptide as the stimulus for syngeneic T cells in 20-microliters hanging-drop cultures. We have now adapted this system for producing primary responses with cells from non-immune donors to produce primary proliferative and CTL responses to human immunodeficiency virus I (HIV) and to HIV peptides in vitro using cells from normal human peripheral blood. All donors in this study were laboratory personnel with no history of HIV infection. DC enriched from peripheral blood were exposed to HIV in vitro and small numbers were added to T lymphocytes in 20-microliters hanging drops. Proliferative responses to virus-infected DC were obtained after 3 days in culture. After 6 days, CTL were obtained that killed virus-infected autologous--but not allogeneic--phytohaemagglutinin (PHA)-stimulated blast cells. Proliferative and CTL responses were obtained using cells from 14 random donors expressing a spectrum of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) types but the CTL, once produced, showed killing restricted by the MHC class I type. Treatment of cultures with monoclonal antibody (mAb) to CD4-positive cells at the beginning of culture blocked the development of both proliferative and CTL responses, but treatment after 5 days had no effect on the CTL activity. Treatment with MCA to CD8-positive cells at the beginning of culture did not block proliferation significantly, but treatment either before or after the 5-day culture period blocked CTL responses. Collaboration between proliferating CD4-positive cells and CD8-positive cells may thus be required to produce CTL of the CD8 phenotype. DC exposed to HIV also produced CTL that killed autologous blast cells pulsed with gp120 envelope glycoprotein. However, DC infected with whole virus did not produce CTL that lysed target cells pulsed with a synthetic peptide, which included a known T-cell epitope of gp120 (representing amino acids 111-126). DC pulsed with gp120 were a poor stimulus for the development of CTL. In contrast, DC pulsed with the peptide (111-126) stimulated both proliferative and CTL responses. The latter killed not only target cells pulsed with the peptide itself or with gp120 but also killed virus-infected autologous blast cells. CTL were again obtained reproducibly with this peptide using donors expressing a spectrum of MHC types.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Subtle translocation (18;21) confirmed by FISH in a patient with Down syndrome

The patient presented with the typical features of Down syndrome: hypotonia, brachycephaly, flattened occiput, bilateral prominent medical epican-thic folds, flat nasal bridge, protruding tongue, low-set dysplastic ears, short broad hands, bilateral clinodactyly and simian crease. The karyotype of this child was originally reported as normal. High-resolution chromosomes revealed extra material on the long arm of chromosome 18. The mother's karyotype showed a reciprocal translocation between the long arm of 18 and the long arm of 21 at band q23 and q22.1, respectively. FISH performed separately with two different 21q cosmid probes gave two signals on the mother's metaphases and three signals on the prob-and. These findings confirmed that the proband is trisomic for the long arm of chromosome 21 at loci D21S65 and D21S19.     

HLA antigens in East African black patients with Burkitt's lymphoma or nasopharyngeal carcinoma and in controls: A pilot study

A pilot study is reported of HLA-A, B, and C antigens in 141 East African Blacks comprising patients with Burkitt's lymphoma or nasopharyngeal carcinoma, either with active disease or in long-term remission, together with comparable controls. This study forms part of a wider program investigating host factors in these diseases. A protocol was selected for optimal testing of cells processed and cryopreserved between 1972 and 1976, largely under field conditions, which employed a two-color fluorochromasia typing procedure. Antigen distribution and computed haplotype frequencies in the total unrelated population are given. New findings include an approximately equal frequency of Aw23 and Aw24, a high (18%) incidence of Bw21, and the gametic associations of Aw36 with Bw44, and Aw30 with Bw45. Of the major group of B15-related antigens reported earlier, SV is the most common, and there are strong linkages of SV with Cw2 and Bw with Cw3. The possible presence of further variants at the A- and B-loci is reported. The proportion of B-locus antigen “blanks” in this study is 5.9%. Relationships have been sought between the HLA antigens and diseases studied: the antigen A29, possibly in linkage with Bw42, shows a correlation with disease susceptibility, and associations are suggested between Bw44 (in possible combination with Aw36) and resistance to both BL and NPC, and between Bw45 and long-term remission in NPC.     

Silent partners: the wives of sleep apneic patients

The wives of 10 male patients being treated for sleep apnea, obstructive type, were interviewed and given the Social Adjustment Scale (SAS) and Marital Satisfaction Inventory (MSI). The patients also completed an SAS and a Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). These data were compared with those from a sample of divorced patients from the same pool. The married patients were significantly more depressed and socially isolated than were those divorced. Both marital partners showed poor adjustment in the Marital and Social/Leisure areas, and patients also showed poor adjustment in their Parental Role. Marriages do not necessarily represent social support but appear to be an added burden for sleep apneic patients.     

The minimum inhibitory concentration of kitasamycin, tylosin and tiamulin for Mycoplasma gallisepticum and their protective effect on infected chicks

The minimum inhibitory concentration (m.i.c.) of kitasamycin, tylosin and tiamulin for Mycoplasma gallisepticum (Mg) were compared with 10(6), 10(4), and 10(2) CFU/ml of the organisms with the drug incorporated in mycoplasma agar. The lowest m.i.c. was obtained with tiamulin and the highest with kitasamycin and, in general, the m.i.c.'s were directly influenced by the concentration of mycoplasmas. Chick embryos at 19 days of incubation were infected with Mg and the hatched infected chicks were used for comparing the protective effect of the three drugs. They were given in the drinking water when the chicks were 2, 3 and 4 days of age. Weight gains for the infected treated birds were similar for all three drugs; they were significantly lower than for those of uninfected chicks and significantly higher than for those of untreated infected chicks. However Mg could be isolated from a high proportion of chicks in the infected treated and untreated groups at 32 days of age.     

Suppression of the paternal IgA-f and IgA-g allotypes in heterozygous rabbits suppressed for the paternal IgM allotype

The injection of neonatal rabbits of genotype a¹n^{8 1}g^{7 4}/a²n^{8 2}f⁷¹g⁷⁵with anti-n81 antiserum suppressess the expression of the paternal f73 and g74 IgA allotypes; the expression of the maternal 171 IgA allotype is enhanced but the expression of the g75 allotype is not significantly enhanced. The concentrations of these allotypes in serum correlated with the immunofluorescent analyses of cellular ratios in gut sections. Allotype suppression of IgA with an anti-IgM reagent supports the concept that the IgM bearing cells are the precursors of the IgA secreting cells.